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The Confession Radio Program

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"I make this confession of my own free will because it is true. There has not been any force or violence used upon my person to induce me to make these statements. Without promise of immunity or reward or gratuity I confess."

The above was the 'freely given' confession preamble to the true Confessions that served as the backdrop to this short, Summer 1953 series of the same name, that aired over NBC. NBC framed the production as a public interest program:

"These true tragedies are brought to you each week as an NBC Radio Network production, in an effort to stem the Nation's forward March of Crime."

In actual practice, though these dramatized crime biographies were certainly cautionary tales in their own right, NBC's representation of presenting them in the public interest rings a bit hollow. They were more in the vein of the already wildly popular Dragnet series, or the Night Watch series that followed soon after. Indeed, upon completing the Night Watch run, the production team envisioned a spin-off titled 'Police Recorder' that would be a virtual clone of NBC's Confession.

Series Derivatives:

None

Genre:

Anthology of Golden Age Radio Crime Dramatizations

Network(s):

NBC

Audition Date(s) and Title(s):

Unknown

Premiere Date(s) and Title(s):

53-07-05 01 Case 10.101 - 'Doris Kane'

Run Dates(s)/ Time(s):

53-07-05 to 53-09-13; NBC; Eleven, 30-minute programs; Sundays, 9:30 p.m.

Syndication:

NBC Orthacoustic

Sponsors:

Presented in cooperation with the California State Department of Corrections

Director(s):

Homer Canfield

Principal Actors:

Paul Frees, Joyce McCluskey, Virginia Gregg, Sam Edwards, Stacy Harris, Marvin Miller, Joel Davis, Les Tremayne, Alice Reinheart, George Pirrone, Charlotte Lawrence, Vivi Janis, James Edwards, Jester Hairston, Jay Loughlin, Jonathan Hole, Mady Norman, Jack Moyles, Peter Leeds, Charles Smith, Parley Baer, Jack Carroll, Barney Philips, Don Diamond, Virginia Christine, Herb Butterfield, Lamont Johnson, Jack Kruschen, Helen Kleeb, Eddie Firestone, Gloria Grant, John Crawford, Lurene Tuttle, Gerald Mohr, Dan Riss, Eve McVeigh, Tony Barrett, Warren Stevens, John McIntyre

Recurring Character(s):

Paul Frees as the 'interviewer'

Protagonist(s):

None

Author(s):

Unknown

Writer(s)

Lou Rusoff, Don Brinkley
Warren Lewis [Script Supervisor]

Music Direction:

Musical Theme(s):

Michael Somogyi on the cymbalum

Announcer(s):

John Wald

Estimated Scripts or
Broadcasts:

Episodes in Circulation:

Total Episodes in Collection:

Provenances:

RadioGOLDINdex, Hickerson Guide.

Notes on Provenances:

The most helpful provenances were the log of the radioGOLDINdex and newspaper listings.

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[Date, title, and episode column annotations in red refer to either details we have yet to fully provenance or other unverifiable information as of this writing. Red highlights in the text of the 'Notes' columns refer to information upon which we relied in citing dates, date or time changes, or titles.]


The Confession Radio Program Log
Date	Episode	Title	Avail.	Notes
53-07-05	1	Case 10.101 - 'Doris Kane'	Y	53-07-01 Wisconsin State Journal Homer Canfield, who first put "Dragnet" on the air has a new anti-crime series "Confession," starting Sunday on NBC. 53-07-05 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA): new program, with "first-person singular" stories of actual crimes.
53-07-12	2	Case 10.102 - 'Martin Everett'	Y	53-07-12 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA): multiple murderer tells his story. 53-07-12 Long Beach Independent Many persons have asked what musical instrument is used for the backgrounding of "Confession" on KFI at 6:30 p.m. It is a cymbalum, an ancient instrument. The cymbalum has been seen and heard on TV's "Roberta Linn" show many times locally. Tonight, a man who has served sentences for several murders relates his story.
53-07-19	3	Case 10.103 - 'Anna Carlsen'	Y	53-07-19 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA): "The Case of Anna Carlsen." 53-07-19 Sunday Times Signal CONFESSION: New series heard at 9:30 Sunday eve on WHIZ-NBC is "Confession." Tonight you will hear Case No. 10.103 in the Corona Calif. Institute for Women. It's the true story of the life of a psychopathic 36 year old woman who always got what she wanted through the use of temper tantrums and hysterics. NOTE TO WIVES: Please listen to this tonight. CONFESSION about confession: "What is that musical instrument?" was the question asked about the background on the first "Confession" program last Sunday night. It is a cymbalum, one of the most ancient of stringed instruments, which pre-dated the piano and even the clavichord. And if you think the name of the instrument is odd...take a look at the name of the man who plays it...Michael Somogyi.
53-07-26	4	Case 10.104 - 'James W Hardis'	N	53-07-26 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA): Unexpected development leads to uncovering carefully planned robbery of supermarket. 53-07-26 Zanesville Signal CASE 10104: "Confession" (WHIZ-NBC Suns 9:30 p.m.) tonight tells the story of a man who had never been able to hold a job; who, in fact, never really wanted to work. Married and father of one child, he falls deeply in debt and then decides to rob a supermarket of $60,000. The crime is perfectly planned and executed, but an unexpected development leads to his trail and arrest.
53-08-02	5	Case 10.105 - 'Esther Phillips'	Y	53-08-02 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA)
53-08-09	6	Case 10.106 - 'Peter W Greer'	Y	53-08-09 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA)
53-08-16	7	Case 10.107 - 'George S Decker'	Y	53-08-16 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA)
53-08-23	8	Case 10.108 - 'James V Madsen'	Y	53-08-23 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA)
53-08-30	9	Case 10.109 - 'Leo J Fowler'	Y	53-08-30 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA)
53-09-06	10	Case 10.110 - 'George S Andress'	Y	53-09-06 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA)
53-09-13	11	Case 10.111 - 'Roger S Chapman'	Y	53-09-13 Wisconsin State Journal 8:30 p.m.--Confession (WIBA)

The Confession Radio Program Biographies

Paul Frees [Solomon Hersh Frees] (interviewer) Stage, Screen, Television, and Radio Actor, Composer, Songwriter, Voiceover Artist, Director, and Author (1920-1986) Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. Education: *Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles, CA Radiography: 1945 Lux Radio Theatre 1945 Maxwell House coffee Time 1946 Rogue's Gallery 1946 The Whistler 1946 The Casebook Of Gregory Hood 1946 The Alan Young Show 1946 Suspense 1947 Escape 1947 The Voyage Of the Scarlet Queen 1947 Ellery Queen 1948 Studio X 1948 The Player 1948 Your Movietown Radio Theatre 1948 The First Nighter Program 1948 Family Theatre 1948 Let George Do It 1948 The Eternal Light 1948 Jeff Regan, Investigator 1948 NBC University Theatre 1948 The Railroad Hour 1949 The Adventures Of Philip Marlowe 1949 Prowl Car 1949 Screen Director's Playhouse 1949 The Prudential Family Hour Of Stars 1949 Rocky Jordan 1949 Pat Novak For Hire 1949 Special Care Program 1949 Box 13 1949 The Adventures Of Frank Race 1949 The Green Lama* 1949 Richard Diamond, Private Detective 1949 Four Star Playhouse 1949 The Croupier 1949 California Caravan 1949 Crime Correspondent 1950 T-Man 1950 A Day In the Life Of Dennis Day 1950 Dangerous Assignment 1950 The Line-Up 1950 Tales Of the Texas Rangers 1950 Presenting Charles Boyer 1950 This Is Your F.B.I. 1950 The Story Of Dr Kildare 1950 The Adventures Of the Saint 1951 Short Story 1951 The Adventures Of Sam Spade 1951 Night Beat 1951 The Whisperer 1951 Romance 1951 Wild Bill Hickok 1951 Mr Aladdin 1951 Broadway Is My Beat 1951 This Is the story 1951 The Silent Men 1952 Hollywood Star Playhouse 1952 The Black Book 1952 The Pendleton Story 1952 I Confess 1953 Gunsmoke 1953 On Stage 1953 Confession 1953 Crime Classics 1953 Mr President 1954 That's Rich 1954 The Edgar Bergen Show 1954 Rocky Fortune 1954 Fibber McGee and Molly 1954 Hallmark Hall Of Fame 1956 NBC Radio Theatre 1956 You Were There 1956 Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar 1956 Those Young Bryans 1957 CBS Radio Workshop 1957 Heartbeat Theatre	Paul Frees, ca. 1952 Paul Frees, ca. 1949 Paul Frees with one of thousands of alter egos, Ludwig Von Drake, ca. 1953 Paul Frees as Etienne in The Adventures of Jim Bowie (1957) Paul Frees, ca. 1975 Bust of Paul Frees ''The Man of A Thousand Voices'' circa 1978 Paul Frees in The Shaggy Dog (1978)	Count the ways to measure Multimedia genius, then double it, and you have Paul Frees. Several famous voice artists have been tagged "The Man of A Thousand Voices." During his ambitious, but brief career, Frank Graham was dubbed the same before his suicide death in 1950. Mel Blanc held that moniker for years. The late, great Don La Fontaine was another worthy recipient. But with all due respect to those other great voice artists, I'm sure all would agree that Paul Frees remains rightful recipient of the tribute. Paul Frees is one of the top ten most memorable, often heard, and hardest working voice talents of the 20th Century. Chicago-born Frees [birth name, Solomon Hersh Frees], was drafted into the Army during World War II, participating in the D-Day Invasion at Normandy. He was wounded in action and returned stateside for rest and recovery for just over a year. Upon obtaining his discharge, he began taking classes at The Chouinard Art Institute in downtown Los Angeles under his G.I. Bill. But his studies were curtailed when his first wife's failing health forced him to drop out and try his hand at Radio work. He appeared frequently on the A-List Radio programs of the 1940s, including Lux Radio Theatre, Rogue's Gallery, The Whistler, Suspense, Escape radio series, including Escape, Ellery Queen, The First Nighter, Family Theatre, and NBC University Theatre. His first solo outing was as The Player (1948) with Frees both narrating and playing all of the parts. He alternated with William Conrad as the 'voice' of Suspense. His second solo outing was as Jethro Dumont in The Green Lama (1949), a summer replacement program. He followed that with a starring role in Crime Correspondent (1949). He also starred in The Croupier (1949). Frees' contribution to radio noir was a perfect match for his range of voices. He appeared regularly in most of the detective genre dramas of the 1940s. Throughout the 1950s he was heard voicing regular or recurring roles in Gunsmoke (1953), Crime Classics (1953), This Is Your FBI (1950), and two prestigious network classics, Hallmark Hall of Fame (1954) and CBS Radio Workshop (1957). Frees' radiography in the RadioGOLDIndex is one of the longest in its database. But Radio was only the tip of the iceberg in Frees' storied career. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) cites over 370 entries for him, in Film, Television, and Animation. A college study once determined that so ubiquitous was Paul Frees voicework during the 1960s and 1970s, that there was literally not one day of Television or Radio during that period in which Paul Frees' voice was not heard. Frees spent much of the second half of his career working with an unprecedented nine of the major animation production companies of the 20th century: Walt Disney Studios, Walter Lantz Studios, UPA, Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, MGM Studios, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, Jay Ward Productions and Rankin/Bass. His work with the Walt Disney Studios led to a long collaboration with them, from voicing animated characters to recordings that brought some of the most compelling attractions at both Disneyland and Disney World to life. His long association with Jay Ward Productions is most remembered for his narration of the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, with William Conrad, and performing the voice of Boris Badenov, and multiple other characters. Accompanied by famous female voice talent, June Foray, their voices formed the very core of most of the Rocky and Bullwinkle episodes. There is simply not enough space in this format to adequately recount Frees' body of work. Fortunately the vast majority of his work is still available through Golden Age Radio and Television recordings. Frees passed away unexpectedly in 1986, at his palacial Tiburon home overlooking San Francisco--from a massive heart failure. He requested that his ashes be scattered over the Pacific Ocean. Anyone knowledgeable of 20th Century mass communications would unquestionably cite Paul Frees as one of the top ten voices over any medium from the era, perhaps even one of the top five. We'd certainly have to concur with either assessment.

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The Confession Radio Program

The Confession Radio Program Log

The Confession Radio Program Biographies